Missing Toddler Found, Mother And Boyfriend In Custody

EL PASO - The 1-year-old girl taken by her mother on Dec. 26 is back in Las Cruces while Nicole Jauregui and her boyfriend Jose Mendez are in custody in El Paso and awaiting extradition to New Mexico.

The couple, both 21, was arrested Saturday morning as they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso. Jauregui’s daughter, Nevaeh, was with the couple and was immediately taken into protective custody. The young girl has since been returned to the care of family in Las Cruces.

Nicole Jauregui and Mendez face charges of child abuse in New Mexico after Nevaeh tested positive for illegal drugs in mid-December. Nevaeh had been placed in the temporary custody of her grandmother, Nicole Jauregui’s mother, but was taken by Nicole Jauregui and Mendez on Dec. 26.

It is not known when Nicole Jauregui and Mendez will be extradited to New Mexico.